ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah Khan has said that the government’s doors for negotiations remain open, but no demands can be accepted by holding the state hostage.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Rana Sanaullah said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had again tried to convey the government’s position to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) the previous day.
He said the prime minister had urged PTI not to prioritise its personal political agenda over national interests. According to Rana Sanaullah, PTI’s agenda had been to create political instability in the country and promote a culture of abusive language in politics.
He said political instability began in 2014 and that PTI had continued to pursue the same agenda. He recalled that the party had marched on Islamabad in 2014 and staged a 126-day sit-in.
“PTI is always trying to attack Islamabad,” he said.
Rana Sanaullah also accused the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government of using provincial resources for political purposes.
He said Customs and police personnel were being killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while the provincial government was raising slogans and mobilising people for political activities.
“On one side, the bodies of martyrs were lying, while on the other, the provincial government was raising slogans,” he said, adding that the provincial government’s conduct would not be tolerated.
Regarding PTI’s ongoing long march, Rana Sanaullah said the participants had started their journey on October 4 but had so far failed to gather even a few thousand people.
He alleged that the organisers had made millions of rupees through the long march. Referring to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, he said the chief minister had stated on the first day that he wanted to die for the love of PTI founder Imran Khan.
“If you want to commit suicide, choose some other way. Why are you putting millions of Pashtuns through this situation?” he said.
Rana Sanaullah also rejected what he described as a misleading portrayal of the deadlock in negotiations.
He said an impression was being created that the government’s consultation was not involved in the policy against terrorism.
“There is already a policy against terrorism, and it is being implemented,” he said.